Options more expensive than the $460 400V/150 kW charging option…honestly wow…

[andrewket]

@daveo4EV I 100% agree with you on both points: 1/ 400v charging option is a no brainer; cheap insurance especially now that Tesla is opening it’s network. Even if you don’t think you’ll ever use it, get it for resale. 2/ The sport sound is not worth $.01 in my opinion. I only have it because it was part of a package. I leave it off all the time. To each is own, but calling it the most important option is ridiculous. I would stop watching any content of someone who stated this.

Having said the above… why do you care so much? Your first post took a lot of time to write. Why bother?

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[jvincent]

Should Porsche Taycan buyers pay for the 150 kW “DC charger” option?

 

[daveo4EV]

Should Porsche Taycan buyers pay for the 150 kW “DC charger” option?

this article is out of date due to the Supercharger network in both North America and Europe being opened to non Teslas - and they are inaccurate that there are no 400V chargers in North America - I’m sitting at one RIGHT NOW as I write this getting 85 kW @ 400V.

 

[daveo4EV]

I don't believe the conversion can be completed in the next year, maybe two.

in Europe there is _NO_ conversion required - it’s mostly a software/server thing to enable the chargers to work with non-Tesla vehicles…it’s already happening.

Elon is not planning to “convert” the superchargers - adapters will be made available for purchase or at the superchargers…in either case it can happen very quickly once they decide to do so. I would estimate a 50% chance this will happen in North America over/under June 2022…we’ll see

you can all laugh and point at me if I’m wrong

 

[Jhenson29]

awfully limited use case for a 150k car /but ok you do you - guess porsche could leave off the entire fast dc mechanism then

Our Taycan replaced a Panamera we had for almost 6 years that never once went further than the Taycan can go and return on a single charge, so I’m not worried.

Almost like I knew what I was doing when I bought it…?

Yes, Porsche could leave it off all together and I’d be fine.

but i agree you can leave this option off of you never ever in a million years plan to drive further than 250 miles with out making an 11 hour charging stop - or potentially a 90 min stop that could’ve been less than 30 min with this feature

A million years is quite long. I’ll re-evaluate on the next car in another 6 years or so.

but you might want to consider this if 11 hour stops isn’t your thing

Hmm…how about I consider taking a gas vehicle and stopping for 3 min if 11 hours isn’t my thing? ?

 

[Kingske]

I don't have either the 150kW charger option or the sport sound. The "only" $500 options can add up quick.

That's the beauty of Porsche. You can pick and choose your options based on what's important to YOU.

Correction: you HAVE TO pick and choose your options to avoid having a rather naked car….

 

[rich_r]

I only do about 1000 miles per year worth of trips that would require DCFC. Of those, probably 75% would already be coverd by EA 350Kw chargers. I do agree that the 400v option is relatively cheap insurance and I will probably spec it.... but honestly I wouldn't ditch any of my "minimally viable taycan" options that I'll enjoy during 100% of my usage such as
-wheels that I can actually stand looking at (neither of the 19" options)
-upgraded seats that have adjustable lumbar support, ventilation and massage
-A decent sounding stereo (bose)
-Surround camera and blind spot warning (given the relatively poor visibility of the car)
-power folding mirrors (ok granted I dont use these every day but it would just bug me to buy a car in the price range and lack something that my old 5 series from 10 years ago had.
-Adaptive cruise control (probably use this on maybe 70% of my drives....also it would bug me to have a 100k+ car that lacked this feature when a base Jetta or Accord now come standard with it)

 

[fgwinn]

While you are correct about Europe, you are comparing apples to oranges.
The Tesla charging cable's length won't reach many, if not most EV's being sold in the US. The pilot program currently underway in the Netherlands indicates that Tesla is converting a % of chargers to accommodate J1772 and longer cabling. Converters like the Tesla tap are not part of their test. Perhaps, most challenging is the third party billing whereby costs will be likely much higher to use them.

If wide spread adoption happens by June 2022, I for one will be very very surprised.
All I can say is that nothing happens like it used to -- try ordering an appliance lately?

Another issue with the Tesla Superchargers is that there are more and more Teslas on the road. Three years ago when I charged my (former) Model 3 at a Supercharger I was almost always the only car at the site. Fast forward to 2021 and many of the stations are busy especially on a Holiday weekend. So much so, it's not uncommon to see a message like "This is a busy station and your charge is going to be limited" when you plug in the cable. The crowded conditions at the Tesla chargers has a big impact on the charging rate since each Supercharger tower is sharing power with 1 to 3 other parking spots. Good luck getting 150kW with a Tesla Supercharger.

 

[andrewket]

Another issue with the Tesla Superchargers is that there are more and more Teslas on the road. Three years ago when I charged my (former) Model 3 at a Supercharger I was almost always the only car at the site. Fast forward to 2021 and many of the stations are busy especially on a Holiday weekend. So much so, it's not uncommon to see a message like "This is a busy station and your charge is going to be limited" when you plug in the cable. The crowded conditions at the Tesla chargers has a big impact on the charging rate since each Supercharger tower is sharing power with 1 to 3 other parking spots. Good luck getting 150kW with a Tesla Supercharger.

Only v2’s are shared between two stalls. The v3 cabinets are able to provide up max power to all stalls simultaneously, although it rarely happens. There are some sites that have a peak site limit, but the limit isn’t hit that often. The warning message you’re getting is telling you the car is limiting the charge set point to 80% so that you’ll leave and open up a spot. You can override this if need be.

 

[daveo4EV]

and I’ll take TEsla’s 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, and 64 stall supercharger sites vs. EA’s flaky 3 and 4 stall sites any day…EA is not the solution to your assertion of congestion problems.

 

[benver]

Disagree. I use Sport Sound every single day. I have yet to use the 400v/150kW charger, and I've tried.

Is there a way in the car to see the 150kW charger in action ?
I can only assume it is used when I use a 400V/175kW Shell recharger...

 

[Scandinavian]

The pilot program currently underway in the Netherlands indicates that Tesla is converting a % of chargers to accommodate J1772 and longer cabling. Converters like the Tesla tap are not part of their test. Perhaps, most challenging is the third party billing whereby costs will be likely much higher to use them.

Here are some ffacts to remember for the situation in Europe.

In Europe all Model3 cars have the CCS2 connector only! All V3 Superchargers have CCS2 connectors. All V2 Superchargers have been updated to carry 2 cables, one the Model s cable plus the CCS2 cable. There may still be some old V1 stations around but not that I have seen. There are actually some ModelS at V3 chargers that require a connector to charge. So there will not need any modifications done at all.

I agree the cable length on the chargers will be problematic for a number of EVs. The Audi has the connector on the right side of the vehicle while Tesla have them on the left side. But that is also a problem at times with other charging networks. We tried charged in Venlo Belgium at an Allego 350 kw charger. There was one car charging when we arrived, he was parked properly, dead Center in his parking slot. I parked so close to his car that I had trouble getting out of my car, yet the cable did just about reach. Tesla are standardised to have the charge connector at the rear and on the left side.

Payment will not be any problems either because you need to have an account and an app with Tesla.

Looking at my position, I have 34 Superchargers in a radius of 60 km as the crow flies. Compared to eleven chargers at 150 and 350 kW capacity form other networks, eight of them from Ionity. And this is a very popular area with huge numbers of tourists every year. I welcome the extra capacity anytime.

 

[whitex]

I have exactly zero plans to charge the car anywhere other than home. So how exactly is this charger going to save me time?

Playing the devil's advocate here, would you take a $460 credit if Porsche was to remove all DC charging capabilities from the car? If not, why not if you have exactly zero plans to use ever use it?

I think the 150KW DC charging is just an extension of DC charging. The argument is that some time in the life of the car (10-15 years) there is a good chance it will become useful. More importantly, if selling the car, you expand your potential buyer pool by including DC charging. Even buyers who don't plan to DC charge, may still believe that at some point they might want to.

 

[whitex]

in Europe there is _NO_ conversion required - it’s mostly a software/server thing to enable the chargers to work with non-Tesla vehicles…it’s already happening.

Elon is not planning to “convert” the superchargers - adapters will be made available for purchase or at the superchargers…in either case it can happen very quickly once they decide to do so. I would estimate a 50% chance this will happen in North America over/under June 2022…we’ll see

you can all laugh and point at me if I’m wrong

The pilot of opening superchargers in Europe is running into some hiccups due to supercharger cables being so short and designed for cars with charge port on the driver side rear, so they may have to retrofit after all.
https://insideevs.com/news/545500/nontesla-evs-blocks-tesla-superchargers/
It's not all smooth sailing. Elon timelines are also always understated by an order of magnitude. US Superchargers will hit even more snags. I remember how long it took Tesla to get the ChaDeMo adapter to work semi reliably.

All that said, I personally agree that $460 is a small price to pay compared to a cost of any Taycan. What you're paying for is really future-proofing the car, since it will probably live for at least a decade if not two. I think the big question is, how much would it cost to retrofit 150KW to a Taycan. If it's under $900, I could maybe see not buying it now. If it costs $5,000+ to retrofit though, I say go with $460 now (but I won't go as far as saying which option people should trade for it, as different people have different priorities).

 

[XLR82XS]

All that said, I personally agree that $460 is a small price to pay compared to a cost of any Taycan. What you're paying for is really future-proofing the car, since it will probably live for at least a decade if not two. I think the big question is, how much would it cost to retrofit 150KW to a Taycan. If it's under $900, I could maybe see not buying it now. If it costs $5,000+ to retrofit though, I say go with $460 now (but I won't go as far as saying which option people should trade for it, as different people have different priorities).

It cannot be retrofitted. (per Porsche)

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